Some things seem perfectly normal but when you step back you see how ridiculous they are. Hawaii has a lot of these.
We can start with the latest bruha about not confirming Ikaika Rodenhurst for a county job because Kohala Councilman Tim Richards was a reference on his resume. That’s ridiculous.
There is only a conflict of interest when Rodenhurst does a favor for Richards and he pays him back with his vote. There is no conflct of interest when Richards votes for Rodenhurst. He gains nothing for it. Favorwise, he’s as neutral as everyone else on the council. He is just re-endorsing a good person for the job, which is exactly what the rest of the council members are doing.
Actually, it would be crazy not to endorse Rodenhurst for a county job because the reason Richards put his name on his resume was to get a county job.
Now, let’s view another issue, Puna Geothermal Venture. To get a clearer picture we should look at the history of the area.
Keeping in mind that Kalapana and Kapoho were relatively unchanged for thousands of years, in the 40 years from 1950 to 1990, our island’s landscape was fairly untouched. During that time, we had a few small earthquakes and minor eruptions.
In 1989, PGV shows up and starts drilling and a short time later the volcano erupts covering over all of Kalapana and 200 homes. The plant keeps drilling, and from 2003 to 2009 there are three major earthquakes and many more smaller ones near PGV. Not long after that a half-mile from the plant Fissure 8 erupts covering Kapoho and 2,000 homes.
Then for two sweet years Puna Geothermal stops drilling and all is calm. There are no eruptions and the skies are blue and clear. In early December 2020, they start drilling again and what do you know, two weeks later the volcano erupts.
Do you start to see a pattern here? Could poking a mile-long drill 24 hours a day into a live volcano cause eruptions? Something to look at.
Let’s move on to another snafu, policemen at the Maunakea protest, more specifically spending $5.3 million on those policemen. Now that’s ridiculous.
The Hawaiians on Maunakea weren’t exactly rioters at the Capitol building, they were peaceful people sharing aloha.
For six months, 95 policemen stood guard at this “dangerous protest” calmly watching exciting hula, Hawaiian chants, and people freely giving away food and clothing, and as a perk they got to meet a few movie stars. Not a bad gig.
They could have hired a few security guards, that’s all they really needed.
But the main thing to look at is our Hawaii.
See the golden morning shining in your driveway, the light blue skies and the flowing clouds above, the turquoise waters of Kua Bay and glistening white sands of Hapuna. Then look up at the proud mountain showing off its wide green coat, the waves breaking at Magic Sands, and in the evening orange and emerald sunsets.
Look around and see how lucky we are.
Dennis Gregory writes a bi-weekly column for West Hawaii Today and welcomes your comments at makewavess@yahoo.com